This November 2011 photo shows crews working on the U.S. 90 overpass bridge, which will connect Miss. 63 to Miss. 611 and bypass the railroad tracks, making the route safer for the many large trucks using the industrial corridor. (File)

PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Asbestos in a former hurricane landfill has thrown a kink in the multimillion-dollar overpass project at U.S. 90 and Industrial Road in east Jackson County, supervisors learned today.

Supervisors approved a nearly $2.5 million change order for Ellisville, Miss.-based Tanner Construction to continue excavating and hauling debris from the old storm dumping area, which is just north of Old Mobile Highway and east of Industrial Road.

There was more asbestos than originally expected, said Neel-Schaffer's Shane Bergin, and the extra work will add about 80 days to the contract.

The change order will be submitted to the Mississippi Development Authority for final approval, a necessary step because Community Development Block Grant funds are involved.

The large road project, funded through local, state and grant funds, will connect Mississippi 63 to Miss. 611, bypassing U.S. 90 and the CSX railroad.

It will also widen Mississippi 611, or Industrial Road, to 5 lanes up to the Gulf LNG Energy's liquefied natural gas facility.

The project is meant to make commutes more efficient through east Jackson County's industrial corridor and boost safety at the railroad crossing.

The first phase -- which includes roadwork along Miss. 63 from Frederick Street south to Old Mobile Highway, realignment work, and the overpass -- is under way now. The second phase is to 5-lane Industrial Road from Old Mobile Highway to the LNG facility.

Any cost overruns in the first phase will eat into the second phase's funds, leaders said Monday, but the Mississippi Department of Transportation will be responsible for making up the difference.

About $35 million has been set aside for the project, with the first phase costing about $23 million.